One of the most popular Fortune
articles in many years was a cover story called “What It Takes to Be
Great.” Geoff Colvin offered new evidence that top performers in any
field—from Tiger Woods and Winston Churchill to Warren Buffett and Jack
Welch—are not determined by their inborn talents. Greatness doesn’t
come from DNA but from practice and perseverance honed over decades.

And not just plain old hard work, like your grandmother might have
advocated, but a very specific kind of work. The key is how you
practice, how you analyze the results of your progress and learn from
your mistakes, that enables you to achieve greatness.

Now Colvin
has expanded his article with much more scientific background and
real-world examples. He shows that the skills of business—negotiating
deals, evaluating financial statements, and all the rest—obey the
principles that lead to greatness, so that anyone can get better at them
with the right kind of effort. Even the hardest decisions and
interactions can be systematically improved.

This new mind-set,
combined with Colvin’s practical advice, will change the way you think
about your job and career—and will inspire you to achieve more in all
you do.

Download and start listening now!

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Quotes & Awards

“Geoff Colvin has written a fascinating study of great achievers from
Mozart to Tiger Woods, and he has brilliantly highlighted the fact that
great effort equals great success. I agree, and Talent Is Overrated is not only inspiring but enlightening. It’s a terrific read all the way through.”

Donald Trump

Listener Opinions

by Annie | 2/8/2014

" This book was recommended to me by my boss. If you're a fan of "Outliers" , this book goes into more depth about how hard work and deliberate practice produces world class performers. And perhaps this level of achievement is attainable by anyone willing to put in the hours, receive the feedback, and commit. I really recommend this book! "

by Lex | 2/1/2014

" I can sum up the 224 pages of this book with one sentence: All world-class badassery in every field and discipline takes 5-10 years of deliberate practice (in the sciences it now takes 20+ years). Those with the discipline to do the hard/boring practicing will reap the rewards of being the greatest. "

by Tai Odunsi | 1/28/2014

" deliberate practice, key mentors, and an early start separate the "gifted" from all else "

by Jenny | 1/26/2014

" Very interesting. Pretty much says that you get good at things because of hard work and practice. "Talent" has very little to do with it. "

" I enjoyed those parts of the book immensely that relate to the title, i.e. which are about talent in general. Other parts are more like a business how-to manual and to me that is not so interesting. So (5* + 2*) / 2, rounded... "

Meera | 10/10/2013

" No more excuses -its "deliberate practice" if I want to succeed :) The book also deals with the same topic as Gladwell's 'Outliers' and looks at a wide selection of scientific studies. I will add that some natural talent and a passion will surely help to cross over to excellence. "

Brandon | 9/14/2013

" Loved it. Really inspired me to use the principle of deliberate practice to improve at work and in my life. "

Meredith | 7/7/2013

" I recommend this book. Interesting. "

Jamie Alana | 4/22/2013

" This book will make you stop complaining about what you can't do and start making it happen. All of us are born the same. It's are drive and dedication that make some of us better at things than others! "

Dinakar | 2/12/2013

" Practice, practice and practice ... "

Dimitri | 12/13/2012

" Hard work, deliberate practice. Not too much in here that is new; it's all borrowed from books like Outliers or real social science research like Ericsson. "

Vladislav Andreev | 12/13/2012

" Compelling, useful, interesting, but way too wordy. The material could be confined to a good magazine article like those published by HBR. "

Dknight | 12/5/2011

" Loved this book. Gives one hope that with diligent practice and support one can achieve one's desires/aspirations. "

Hyojin | 10/23/2011

" It's deliberate practice, not talent, that makes a top performer. This book heavily relies on extensive research done in this area, which I greatly appreciated. Amy Chua's book could be Exhibit 1 of what this book explains. "

" Fantastic book. An essential for any businessman/woman, whether in a position of leadership or in the assembly line. Incredibly important principles for how to live and work and improve in your job and become "great" at what you do. Two thumbs up.
"

Chris | 2/25/2011

" Similar to Gladwell's "Outliers" in topic, but covers different people and methods. I liked the author's argument that it's the hours of deliberate practice that matters with successful people. Makes sense.
"

Doug | 2/24/2011

" An interesting book with the compelling premise that hard work does matter. Considerably more than any notion of natural talent. A good read for anyone who aspires to much beyond mediocrity.
"

Robert | 2/16/2011

" It's decent enough but not sure I completely agree
"

Ann | 2/8/2011

" A little redundant, there are so many books of this kind on the market now. Also, it was too encouraging considering the amount of practice needed for excellence and comparing that to my age. Rather depressing actually.
"

Thomas | 2/4/2011

" Left me with a little bit of a chicken vs. egg thought... is talent really inherited intrinsic motivation and adaptability to the skill, or is this intrinsic motivation actually nurtured?
"

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